45 initial proposals received under RCS; MoU signed with Telangana government

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has received 45 initial proposals from 11 bidders covering more than 200 regional routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). These initial proposals cover 65 airports, comprising 52 unserved and 13 underserved airports. The first RCS flight is expected to commence in March 2017, with the routes being awarded by mid-February 2017. Counter-bids have now been invited against these initial proposals, the last date of submission for which is February 1, 2017. Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Telangana government has signed an MoU with the MoCA and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the RCS.